STEAMBOAT SPRINGS -- Matt Cooke is small in stature, but this week he has looked like a giant in his king of the mountain jersey. Then again, he thinks he looks good in anything Lycra.

Last fall, the Boulder cyclist thought he would never wear it again. At 34, he said he "was within a hair" of quitting the sport.

Instead, he is one of four cyclists in this week's USA Pro Challenge who has bounced back from the collapse of Team Exergy.

"To be here, it feels very special, and I'm honored," said the 135-pound Cooke, who kept the KOM jersey after Wednesday's Stage 3from Breckenridge to Steamboat Springs.

His nightmare began when Exergy Development Group, an alternative energy consortium in Boise, Idaho, suspended projects last year. Exergy was sued by Virginia-based turbine maker AES Corp last August for $37.9 million after Exergy failed to purchase 32 wind turbines it had ordered. Exergy not only pulled the plug on its continental men's cycling team but also its 2013 Exergy Tour, a five-day women's race in Idaho. It pulled sponsorship from the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross as well.

The Pro Challenge has sued the company for $2.5 million for non-payment of sponsorship fees. USA Cycling has sued for nonsponsorship too.

Exergy CEO James Carkulis, in an odd explanation, stated in a press release that he was pulling sponsorship from cycling because of "the corruption prevalent within the sport."

Cooke was working at his other job, the Gear Store, when team management called him with the news.

The next thought was "Give me my money." Cooke has a second job for a reason. What did team management say when he asked it to fulfill his contract through 2013?

"Take a long walk off a short pier," Cooke said. "Essentially they said good luck."

Neither he nor the Pro Challenge has much legal recourse.

The Pro Challenge, now in its third year, has lost millions, although it would have broken even this year had Exergy not bailed. The race is privately funded by race founder and owner Rick Schaden. Organizers have a five-year plan to be profitable, and the race is on track toward that goal, Hunter said.

"Ownership is happy. If we can secure a title sponsor -- and it's got to be the right title that fits with Colorado and fits with the sport -- we will be profitable for 2014, which is one year ahead of schedule," Hunter said. "Our business plan does not call for a title sponsor, but if we secure one, we will be making money. I'm feeling pretty good where we are."

Cooke, who moved to Boulder from Washington, D.C., in 2007, he was out of work for six months. It wasn't the money that hurt so much.

"I was very angry then," he said. "I feel a lot better now. I really do feel very grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I got to do this race twice. I got to do (Tour of) Utah, Tour of California. The team was very organized. It was very together. We had great support. All of the things that a professional team should do, that team had.

"And we were all happy."

Cooke finally found work when he met officials from Jamis-Hagens Berman, a team sponsored by cycling-nut lawyers, at Quebec's Tour de Beauce in July. Meanwhile, Jelly Belly, another American continental team, signed Exergy strays Fred Rodriguez, Morgan Schmitt and Serghei Tvetcov.

Rodriguez, 39, was the Exergy star, a 15-year veteran who had won a stage in the Giro d'Italia and was a three-time national road race champ. After Jelly Belly softened his fall, he went out and won his fourth national title in May.

"I wasn't bitter," said Rodriguez, who is tied for 88th place (19:49 behind the leader) in the Pro Challenge. "I was disappointed in the situation. But being an older rider and experiencing a lot of different ups and downs in the sport, you realize it's part of life.

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